Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in Windows XP: HOW TO - Disable
Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in Windows XP: HOW TO - Disable
Q307874
How to Disable Simple File Sharing
How to Share a Folder or Drive with Other People
Troubleshooting
How to disable simplified sharing. Note that you cannot disable simplified sharing in Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.
By default, simplified sharing is enabled on a Windows XP-based computer if the computer is not a member of a domain. Simplified sharing lets you easily share folders with everyone on your workgroup or network and make folders in your user profile private.
However, if simplified sharing is enabled, you cannot prevent specific users and groups from gaining access to your shared folders. If you disable simplified sharing, you can allow specific users and groups to gain access to a shared folder; those users must provide a password to gain access to your shared folder.
If simplified file sharing is enabled, you see the Simple File Sharing user interface rather than the classic Security and Sharing tabs. This new user interface is implemented by default in Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional if you are working in a workgroup.
If you disable simplified sharing, the classic Security and Sharing tabs appear and you can specify which users and groups have access to shared folders on your computer.
NOTE: Security can be set only on a partition that uses the NTFS file system. If you remove the Everyone group from the NTFS permissions, the file or folder is inaccessible over the network.
How to Disable Simple File Sharing
1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
3. In the Advanced Settings section, clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.
4. Click OK.
How to Share a Folder or Drive with Other People
1. Click Start, click My Computer, and then locate the folder or drive you want to share.
2. Right-click the folder or drive, and then click Sharing and Security.
3. On the Sharing tab, click Share this folder.
4. To change the share name of the shared folder or drive, type a new name in the Share name box. The new name is what other people see when they connect to this shared folder or drive. The actual name of the folder or drive does not change.
5. To add a comment about the shared folder or drive, type the text in the Comment box.
6. To limit the number of people who can connect to the shared folder or drive at one time, click Allow under User limit, and then type the number of users.
7. To set shared folder permissions on the shared folder or drive, click Permissions. NOTE: To share folders and drives, you must be logged on as a member of the Administrators, Server Operators, or Power Users group.
Troubleshooting
The Sharing tab is not visible.
Try using the Services snap-in to start the Server service. To do so:
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, expand Services and Applications, and then double-click Services.
3. Right-click the Server service, and then click Start.
4. The folder is already shared.
5. Click New Share, and then type the new share name.
6. You want to hide the shared folder.
7. You can hide the shared folder from browsing by typing $ as the last character of the share name. Other people will not be able to see this shared folder when they browse by using My Computer or Windows Explorer, but they can map to the shared folder.
8. Other people may occasionally be unable to gain access to your shared folder.
9. No more than 10 other people can connect to your computer at one time if you are using Windows XP Professional. In Windows XP Professional, the maximum user limit is 10, regardless of the number you type in the Allow box.
10. You can use the Shared Folders snap-in to create and manage shared folders, view a list of all people who are connected to a shared folder over a network, disconnect one or all of them, view a list of files opened by remote users, and close one or all open files. To start the Shared Folders snap-in:
11. Click Start, and then right-click My Computer.
12. Click Manage, and then click Shared Folders.
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